Lunch loves company

Teddy typically took lunch in his classroom. His schedule usually worked out just so that it made little sense to make an attempt down to the Great Hall, or even up to the Staff Lounge. Maddie had warned him of the possibility of this early on and he had made sure to keep a nice little pantry of foods borrowed from the kitchens in his classroom so he could ensure he didn't starve while he waited for the kiddos to arrive.

Every now and then, though, he had the time to take his lunch in the staff lounge. That was typically when Selwyn found him.

Teddy didn't mind, of course. He much preferred the social aspects of this job to the sense of solitude that came from counseling. Even surrounded by people, one didn't feel they were permitted to connect, not really, with that desk between them. Hogwarts had allowed him to continue his friendship with Maddie, to even facilitate a friendship of sorts with Avery Bishop, and have him an access to his sister-of-sorts that he had still not found a way to broach.

He had let his last class leave early to get a headstart on their essay for the week, giving him ample time to enjoy some of the food provided in the staff lounge. He brought along one of his salads, settling into one of the tables in the center of the room. It was deserted, save for a substitute glowering over some notes, fingers plugged into their ears despite the silence of the room as they tried to focus.

Teddy certainly wasn't going to be the one to interrupt.

@Selwyn Thorfinn

Selwyn had never actually tried to track Lupin down or anything like that.  What typically happened was that he'd see the other man in the staff room eating lunch or some other mundane thing, and thoughts that he usually pushed to the back of his mind would present themselves for his perusal.  

If there was one thing Selwyn didn't like about himself, it was his inclination to introspection. So he would distract himself by talking to Teddy.  

It was, perhaps, dishonest of him.  Selwyn had seen muggle psychiatrists.  He was aware that he wasn't entirely normal. But who was, when you really got down to it?  Besides, it wasn't like he was asking Teddy for actual therapy.  It was just a conversation.

"Hi," he greeted as he beelined across the staffroom to the kettle.  

Selwyn spared a confused glance for the sub, then cast another at Teddy.

"What's with her?"

A voice that had become exceedingly familiar reached his ears and Teddy turned to look at the Deputy Headmaster, offering a smile. "Good afternoon, Selwyn." Teddy wasn't one predisposed to being easily irritated - exasperated was probably the closest he felt. Selwyn usually had an earful and it often forced Teddy to take a headfirst tumble into his old therapeutic ways, too often reverting back to questions that prompted self reflection, turning statements around to shed new light. He wasn't sure when the habit would stop, or when it would at least feel less taxing once all was said and done.

Selwyn's question threw him off guard and he followed the younger man's gaze, rediscovering the frantic tableau of the substitute. He wasn't sure if the woman could hear them so Teddy decided to speak kindly rather than give her more cause for uncertainty. "Probably got called in last minute."

He glanced towards the empty seat at his table. "Would you like to join me?"

And there was the invitation!

"Sure thing," he agreed.

As the water boiled, Selwyn searched the cupboards for biscuits. The biscuits he'd hidden in the back corners to prevent the other teachers getting all the good ones. Slytherins weren't just good for taking over the world, you know.

"So, how are the kids?" he asked as he tried to remember exactly what Teddy's job here was.

Selwyn felt a little guilty for not knowing. He probably ought to know. It was probably his business. Maybe the guy was the school counsellor? Keiran had done that in the past, but obviously he'd come to his senses and realised he wasn't properly qualified, right? Right?

Teddy nodded at the Deputy Headmaster, turning back to his salad as he picked through the greens, looking for a bite of tomato while Selwyn dug around for a snack of his own.

Teddy had somehow forgotten the whole... living at Hogwarts for the entire school year part of the bargain. It had only struck him weeks before the term began, and had almost been enough to make him reconsider. But he was glad, now that he was here. It was regrettable that the dog had to be taken care of by his neighbor, but an excuse to be away from his lonely flat had turned out to be a blessing.

Teddy glanced up at Selwyn's question, just as he speared the tomato he was looking for. "They're good. I was worried about my ability to actually teach the material, but there's enough material to get through that I don't have much time during the lesson to spend on second guessing myself. Which seems to work." He offered a little grin and then popped the cherry tomato in his mouth. After a moment, he was clear to ask, "How's your classes going?"

Material. He was a teacher then. Selwyn wondered what he was teaching. He ought to have known, and later, he would definitely look it up. It can't have been anything interesting, though, or he'd have already noticed.

"Oh, you know, I always feel like I'm getting worse at it every time," he replied breezily. "I think the kids are actually happy to come back at the beginning of term, but after the first few days they change their minds. Makes it feel like you're getting worse at your job every time you see them."

"Not to mention working with magical creatures brings a whole new dimension of chaos to the classroom. And getting them to pay attention in theory lessons is impossible considering half of them only took the subject because they like animals."

Selwyn finally sat down across from Teddy to have his tea and biscuit. It was hardly lunch, but considering Hogwarts dinners that might be a good thing.

"I've considered telling them about the veela thing, but then I start thinking, damned if I'll tell them that just to get their attention."

Teddy couldn't suppress his grin at the other professor's admission, feeling just a bit better to know that he wasn't the only one with failing confidence in the job. There simply didn't seem to be a real way to gauge success. Some students had gotten better, others had gotten worse, and their interest fluctuated depending on the news of the week and how many distractions a class afforded. Knowing that even the Deputy Headmaster struggled probably should have worried him about the state of their end of year scores, rather than comforted him. But it did.

"I can't imagine adding a hippogriff to the mess," Teddy said, shaking his head as he popped a mouthful of lettuce into his mouth. He supposed he was lucky to have a class that was mostly theory. Swallowing, he added, "Though, I have to say, I wish I had more opportunities to move past the hypothetical. Can't exactly break my arm and have them try and mend the bones though. I mean, I suppose I could, but I'd probably want a raise."

He quirked his head thoughtfully at the man, saying, "Is the veela thing something you can... turn on and off? Sorry, if that's rude. It's just interesting, I suppose."